Legacy Event

Canadian Hairdresser has lots to celebrate !

There was no rest for the wicked on Monday, October 29th when Canadian Hairdresser Magazine celebrated our 65th year anniversary with a theme for everlasting life – a Vampire Black Tie Gala. Aside from the re-launch of the magazine, it was an important night to celebrate the life and legacy of Joan Harrison. It had been one year since her passing and the shut down of the magazine which meant it was the perfect time to honor her.

An eclectic group of vamped up hair, fashion and beauty industry professionals took in our multi-sensory baroque experience at Airship 37 in Toronto. Three fabulously designed selfie stations were in action all night long. Our Instagram envirnonments were designed and assembled by the talented Brandy Mahaney – Creative Director for the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue.

There was a gorgeous display of three mannequins wearing black tie designer clothes from Saks with the latest collection of hair color sponsored by Schwarzkopf. The coiffed wigs in dark sultry shades from the new Lucid Nocturnes collection were styled by Robin Bacon.

The live entertainment of electric violinist Dr. Draw combined with beat box vocalist Scott Jackson accompanied by a little pop’n lock dance had the crowd in awe. The energy in the room was somewhere in between amazement, shock and delight while the crowd danced and took videos.

The best dressed contest sponsored by L’oreal showcased the wonderful creativity of our guests that really made an effort to participate in the Vampire theme. We saw some pretty amazing costumes that were captured in fun photos and GIFs in our selfie stations! Click here to see more.

Our gorgeous cover model Elyse Saunders who is also a very talented illustrator set up a pop up gallery during the event. Her creepy beautiful style worked perfectly with our Vampire theme and is in line with our passion for creativity in all aspects of artistry.

The speeches commemorated the life of Joan that we all knew so well. It was a cheerful toast by Roger Gingerich, Andrea Sampson, Robin Barker, our publisher Jeff Alford and Editor in Chief Cheryl Gushue telling stories of the life she dedicated to the industry and Canadian Hairdresser Magazine.